THE ROAD AHEAD ith new opportunities comes new directions. That As industry was the overriding theme of the 2015 Women in rebounds, W Commercial Construction & Facilities Retreat, held at executives The Hotel Monaco in Denver, Aug. 6–9. The attendees, the perfect blend of the industry’s leading vendors and end users, spoke seek more positively about the road ahead and where the opportunities can opportunities continue to take an industry that is trending upward. As the commercial construction industry moves full steam ahead, women executives spoke openly about the successes and challenges facing all sectors of the marketplace. The three-day event featured a roundtable discussion, along with a series of networking opportu- nities, including a little free-fall flying in the iFLY Indoor SkyDiving facility. Following is the first installment of our Commercial Construction & Renovation’s Wom- en’s Retreat coverage, including a look at our Friday afternoon forum. For more information, visit us at www.ccr-mag.com. 38 COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — SEPTEMBER : OCTOBER 2015 Heidi Bendiksen Samra Savioz Susan Lloyd Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli Marco Contractors Family Dollar Founder/Vice President Director of Business Project Manager Development Construction Process & Design Team Lori Naas Karen Caroline Roberts Whataburger Restaurants MacCannell Chipotle Manager, 3rd Party Services The McIntosh Group Executive Director Business Development Penny Czarra Gabriele Melanie Gifford AC Tech Lawrence Sargenti Architects President & Director Chatham Lodging Trust Business Developement Director of Project Manageer Management Kelli Buhay Heather Lindsay Jenny Feng Retail Maintenance Academy Sports Behr Process Corporate Specialists & Outdoors PRO Product and Director of Business Manager of Direct Channel Manager Developement Construction Projects Jenee Naples Diana Rico Rabiah Reyome Massey LaZerCaD GNP Development Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli Chief Developement Director, Project Solutions Director of Franchise and Officer Vendor Relations Heidi Vassalotti Colleen Biggs Cha Nye Farley Crossville The Little Gym Smashburger Strategic Accounts International Director of Facilities Real Estate & and Procurement Developement Manager Dawn Henning Maria Torres Erin Wilson General Shale Pizza Studio Imagilux Director of Retail Construction & Ops Inside Sales Manager Marketing Coordinator Gabriela Settles Cherisse Regnart Grace Daly Office Depot/Office Max Re-AL Shop Talk 360 Senior Category Manager, Principal Indirect Procurement SEPTEMBER : OCTOBER 2015 — COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION 39 THE ROAD AHEAD CCR: Tell us a little about yourself. Heidi Bendiksen, Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli: We started 21 years ago here in Denver, because when we moved here, there was nothing to eat except steak. Now there’s good food. W e’ve added five corporate stores over a 10-year period, and now realize that to grow we’re going to have to start franchising. We currently have 18 locations and we’re ready to grow. We’re seeking national vendors to work with because we do have stores out of state. Samra Savioz, Marco Contractors: Marco Contractors is a national general contractor that specializes in retail restaurant and general commercial construction. We have been in business for over 37 years, with headquarters in Warrendale Pa., a suburb of Pitts- burgh. Our western office is in San Francisco. We have a presence in all 50 states. Marco is also licensed and registered to build projects in all 50 U.S. states. We have more than 60 full time superintendents and nine full time project managers. Marco is financially strong and finishes projects on-time and on-budget. We’re looking to contin- ue to sustain growth and are interested in maintaining long term relationships and creating new relationships with clients as well. At Marco, we work as a team and performance builds our business. Susan Lloyd, Family Dollar: Family Dollar has about 8,000 stores representing our area of expertise in ADA consulting. We are working in 46 of the continental United States. Basically, my team oversees to make retailers and architects more aware; train and educate them the design of our buildings, as far as picking products, what they look and work with retail clients nationwide. like, how they flow, keeping them energy efficient and sustainable. We oversee processes for the construction side of the company. Caroline Roberts, Chipotle: Domestically and internationally, my team handles designing construction facilities, procurement, sustain- Lori Naas, Whataburger Restaurants LLC: We have about 700 ability, property management and development support. We currently restaurants across the South, from Arizona to Jacksonville, Fla. I have about 185 people on our team. manage the 3rd Party Services – 13 services overall. Penny Czarra, AC Tech: We work around the country and over- Karen MacCannell, The McIntosh Group: We are a national seas. We manufacture and support special epoxies and coatings architecture firm that specializes in retail and restaurant, we are for concrete and metal. We work with specifiers, general contrac- licensed in every state, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. I am tors, concrete contractors, and flooring installers. Gradually, we’re getting into the design-build community, where we assist them in avoiding problems before they occur. No one wants to com- promise their new flooring system because of moisture, salts, or contamination in the concrete substrate. We’re big on promoting innovation on the construction site and in troubleshooting the problems that always arise when translating “specifications” into actual performance on the job. We invest heavily in technical support for our custom- ers and the industry at large. Gabriele Lawrence, Chatham Lodging & Trust: We’re a real estate investment trust that specializes in premium branded, upscale, select service hotels. We work with all brands including Marriott, Starwood, Hilton, InterContinental & Hyatt Hotels. We 40 COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — SEPTEMBER : OCTOBER 2015 ImagiLux ULTRA-THIN LED PANELS Be Creative. Backlight Anything. Bring bright, even light to any translucent material. From onyx and glass tile to graphics, display lighting and more. Call 541.228.3650 Expert engineers and experienced designers are Made in the USA. Quote today. Ship in a week. ready to help you realize your creative vision. ImagiLuxLED.com Imagilux custom LED panels. A Division of CIRCLE NO. 22 THE ROAD AHEAD currently have about 200 hotels in the Seeking product outside of our primary United States only. market can be difficult. We’re a small, closely held company so we are seeking regional and Melanie Gifford, Sargenti Architects: national vendors. We’ve been in business for about 17 years. We are an architecture firm that predomi- Diana Rico, LaZerCaD: We’re an as-built data nantly do retail and are slowly getting into collection business that was started in 2011 in hospitality. We have offices in Los Angeles, Los Angeles. There are a lot of as-built surveying Paramus, New Jersey and Philadelphia. companies out there, but we deliver in a format that allows you to have access to your data on a Kelli Buhay, Retail Maintenance mobile device anywhere in the United States. Specialists: We’re a 13 year-old facility maintenance company that covers the gam- Rabiah Reyome, GNP Development: ut as far as maintenance, PM work, HVAC, GNP Development is a boutique real estate electrical, plumbing, carpentry rollout and and investment firm that provides a holistic special projects. development approach, managing project and/or land investment processes through- Heather Lindsay, Academy Sports & out all phases of the sale. GNP focuses on Outdoors: Academy Sports and Outdoors is value creation through strategic acquisitions one of the nation’s largest sporting goods, out- and build-to-suit developments. Successfully door and lifestyle retailers in the country with managing client relationships and ensuring 201 locations in the Southeast United States. the company and client goals are aligned guides our team in delivering successful Jenny Feng, Behr Process Corporation: innovative and cost effective strategies. I work for Masco Coatings Group which has two of the top architectural coatings brands– Heidi Vassalotti, Crossville: Crossville is Behr and Kilz. Our brands have been around the largest domestic manufacturer of por- for over 60 years. Behr grew up on the Do- celain tile, American owned and operated, it-Yourself (DIY) side of the business, which and based in Crossville, Tenn. I manage our means our quality needs to match up to the strategic accounts nationally, specializing in performance expectation of consumers who retail and hospitality. might not have much experience painting. Contractors have also depended on BEHR Colleen Biggs, The Little Gym In- & KILZ products for consistent quality and ternational: We’re coming up on our 40- reliability for decades. year anniversary next year. We offer gym- To catapult from this established base nastics programs for children four months of loyal DIY clients, Behr has in recent years to 12 years of age. We’ve partnered with made additional investments to pursue and a few great partners this year, including focus on the professional market in a bigger Nickelodeon, LEGO and Kindermusik. We way, primarily the commercial segment, have 207 currently open in the United nationwide. We have 15 distribution centers States and Canada, and more than 300 and is supported by The Home Depot’s around the world.